By Milo O’Neill

Young runners from schools all around Hong Kong participate in a cross country mini meet.

On Tuesday January the 7th, aspiring runners from all around Hong Kong participated in a mini meet held by International Christian College. The mini meet consisted of four friendly races: U12-14 Boys, U12-14 Girls, U16-20 Boys and U16-20 Girls. 

“The mini meet was an enjoyable afternoon for staff and students.  Everyone had great energy, the sun was shining and everyone was ready for the first run of the New Year. The route confused some of us, but everyone got there in the end,” says Ms Sinita Pandya, who is one of the RCHK cross country coaches.

For many of the runners, this was their first time running against older students. “I was feeling pretty confident,” says Michael Clark, a year 7 student who participated in the race, “but I was pretty scared when I knew that we were racing against U14s.”

Despite the age gap, RCHK did well in the race, with many runners doing well. “I was so proud of RCHK runners, most of our runners improved their personal best time for the 3K and 5K.  But what was even more pleasing to see was RCHK were cheering on other runners and [they] had smiles on their faces,” says Pandya.

Like many sports, cross country is proven to have many health benefits, such as improving cardiovascular health and improving muscle strength. “Cross country allows you to get outside, and being outside improves our mood and wel-lbeing as well as the fact that it is great exercise. It allows us to experience different running terrains and different routes, too,” Pandya says.

The season will end in February, and there will be two more mini meets and a championship race within that time.